Dancing in the Darkness and the Shadows
by Roundabout Of Red Roses
Summary: It was always so easy for them...treading the lighter path. Without ever slipping into darkness and welcoming the cool embrace that followed. Well Peter and Lucy did anyway. Susan and Edmund couldn't help it; they just liked playing in the shadows.
1. Chapter 1: Life after and the Return

Dancing in the Darkness and the Shadows

**AN: Hey guys! Long time no read, I've been struggling a lot over these past few weeks as well as having a terrible writers block. Don't worry though as soon as I've recovered I'll be back in the game with my other stories. But until then here is as two-three shot dedicated to Susan and Edmund Pevensie with Peter and Lucy included of course.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Chronicles of Narnia**

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_Summary: It was always so easy for them...treading the lighter path. Without ever slipping into darkness and welcoming the cool embrace that followed. Well Peter and Lucy did anyway. Susan and Edmund couldn't help it; they just liked playing in the shadows. Mentions Suspian as well as Ed/Su sibling stuff._

_Note: Try listening to the song Dark side by Kelly Clarkson or Arms by Christina Perri, both beautiful songs. Just a suggestion._

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Edmund always hated the fact that Peter and Lucy seemed to be loved more, that feeling of always being second best made him feel a slightly bitter inside. After his experience with Jadis, Edmund decided that it was better if he became what everyone expected him to be, second fiddle. Never mind. It made it all the more fun when he wiped the smirk of the enemies faces

Susan felt the same; everyone always thought that the younger siblings would be envious of the older siblings. Living up to their strength, intelligence and achievements but Susan knew better, nobody liked rational one, who stayed calm and showed no emotion. They thought her heartless and weak. After becoming tired of trying to prove herself to her Parents, subjects and Aslan himself, she decided to follow the lead of her younger brother and fade into the role of second fiddle. Never mind. It made it all the more exciting when she shoved her arrow into her someone's skull.

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He may be the Just king but there are times when he is biased in his judgment. When Peter and Lucy are convinced of someone's innocence, he will try twice as hard to prove their guilt. He will dance in the shadows and get the evidence he needs, criticising the two on the naivety he has never been allowed to have. They will be shocked and try and find a missing link in Edmunds well planned evidence but none will be found as there isn't one there. Susan will smirk; she never doubted him, she even helps sometimes. Lucy will cry and Peter will calm her and for a single moment Edmund will pity the two. Until he remembers and the pity turns to anger at their vulnerability, what would they do without him?

She may be the Gentle Queen but there are times when she is anything but. When Peter and Lucy laugh at her demands to go into battle she feels her blood boil, and she will rage. She will dance in the shadows until they leave and she sneaks out of her room, bow and arrows across her back. She will arrive at the battle field and Peter will scold and Lucy will chastise. Edmund will smirk and later she thanks him for the rope he hid under her sheets. As they four monarchs fight for their county she will watch Lucy avoid the kill by stabbing the leg and knocking them out and she will watch Peter close his eyes as he thrusts in his sword. For a moment she will pity them and then she remembers that she looks her enemies in the eyes and the pity turns to anger. They should at least lock eyes with their opponents. She curses their weakness and turns her azure eyes on the soldier in front, never mind she'll do their job for them, as usual, what would they do without her?

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After fifteen years they fall back through the wardrobe door and Edmund knows that there is no going back until Aslan calls them. He slides back in using his new found wisdom and acting skills to become the typical English school boy. He is different, and a small hopeful part of him hopes that people will appreciate him more but they never do and he is angry at himself for trying. But he is still there when Peter and Lucy struggle to slide back into normalcy, he takes care of Peter.

Constantly jumping into fights with boys three years older than him, ending up with black eyes and busted lips, but it becomes worth it when he see's Susan at home and she explodes towards Peter calling him reckless and moronic. Lucy will then yell at Susan for yelling at Peter but Edmund will jump to his older Sisters aid before the other two can say Narnia and the four will split into two sets of two and Lucy and Peter will go outside into the garden and the light. But Susan and Edmund will stay inside and wait for night to fall before they sneak out and play under the stars.

As they slip though the wardrobe and into war-torn England, Susan knows that there is no returning home until Aslan calls once more. She quickly adapts by using her intelligence and acting skills to become the usual English school girl. She has changed, and there is a small part of her that hopes people will love her some, but they never do and she is angry that she took down her walls. But she is there, as the only Mother they know. Lucy struggles and Susan comes to her aid when the older girls try to attack her for "acting up".

As she shoos Lucy away she uses their miscalculation of her to her advantage. Good thing Corin taught her how to throw a proper punch, and with a couple of well aimed kicks they never go near her or Lucy again, but she doesn't ever get a thank you. She gets tired of watching Edmund come back with bruises everyday; she only got a busted lip and cracked rib. She snaps and yells at Peter, Lucy will then come to their brother's aid and before anyone can say Aslan Edmund it by her side. They will go bathe in the sunlight but she and Edmund will wait until they can sneak out and dance under the darkness and the stars.

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One day they arrive at the train station. Edmund waits outside spotting a statue of a lion as he does, knowing He is here in some shape or form helps Edmund cope with the fact that returning is taking longer than he hoped. His walls are built so strongly and carefully- Susan always said he was good at strategy- that he can pretend to cope even though he is slowly breaking. He takes a deep breath and prays for the day to pass quickly so the darkness can wrap him in its comforting embrace. He knows that even though he will not be with Susan, he will still be able to uphold their connection for she will be dancing in similar shadows under the same stars and the same night sky. He looks over to the newspaper stand across the street, spotting the familiar long, curly, dark brown hair. He sniggers as he watches her being chatted up by some random boy, he knows she will be tell him a fake name and he knows that she will be begging for the darkness too. Suddenly their youngest comes rushing over and Edmund waits for the girls to run past him before leaping into action, time to save Peter's ass...again.

Susan is tired of pretending. When they arrive at the Train station they all head their separate ways, she begs for the darkness and the shadows. Longing for them to hold her in their cool embrace as she dances with her brother underneath the stars once more, she knows it will be different. There will be no Edmund dancing with her this time but she finds comfort in the fact that upholding their strong bond is the blackened night sky which they dance under simultaneously. She wants to seek him out with her eyes but is stopped when she feels and unfamiliar presence next to her, as he begins to speak she longs for the night's presence even more. She tells him her name is Phyllis and he believes her but her youngest runs over and she runs to her older brother. Even though she is tired of helping and getting nothing back she runs because no matter how different the paths they tread, hers and Edmund's is covered by the night sky and dark shadows but Peter and Lucy's is covered in sunlight and a bright blue sky. Her siblings are the one thing she can never stop loving.

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He jumps into the fight, pushing past Susan and Lucy on the way in. He knocks one of the boys over and punches another one. For the first time in a long time he feels his age showing in more than wisdom, it makes him ache. He is tired of being second best, he is tired of trying so hard and not getting some credit, he is tired of helping Peter out because he can't cope. He is so, so, tired and for the first time in his life he is ready to fall onto his knees and pray for home.

She watches Edmund jump into the fray. Locking eyes with Peter she gets hit with a sudden wave of tiredness. She feels her age in more than intelligence and understanding, it makes her ache and she feel it, really feels the pain and tiredness she has been suppressing. She is tired of being second best, it hurts. She is tired of giving everything and getting nothing back, it hurts. She is tired of trying to stay in control, it hurts. For the first time in a long time Susan is ready to fall to the floor and sob before getting up onto her knees and praying for her home.

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Suddenly there back and Edmund can feel joy. It is the first time in a long time he hasn't been praying for the darkness to come and wash away his fears. As he looks around the landscape from the soft sand, to the beautiful ocean, Edmund makes a decision. Last time he faded into the background, well no longer. He was done with not being heard, like the dark sky he dances under King Edmund the Just was going to spread his wisdom across all of Narnia.

They have returned and Susan can feel hope. For the first time in a long time she hasn't been praying for the embrace of the shadows to enclose her tightly. As she looks over the area, from the silky sand to the very inviting ocean waters, Susan makes a choice. Last time she faded into the background, not anymore. She was done with being ignored, like the stars she danced under Queen Susan the Gentle was going to shine, and she would shine over all of Narnia.

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**AN2: Well that's Chapter 1 done with. Hopefully you will all like it and please review if you can I would like to know what you thought and how I could improve.**


	2. Chapter 2: Being Home and the Gorge

**Dancing in the Darkness and the Shadows**

**Chapter 2**

**Authors Note: Hey! Thank you so much to those who followed reviewed or added this as a favourite. Glad you liked it, I hope you like this chapter as well. Please review and thank you for helping me get back into the swing of things once more.**

**Disclaimer: Well... let me call up the Doctor, hitch a ride in the T.A.R.D.I.S and we will see. But until then I'm afraid it's a no.**

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_Summary: It was always so easy for them...treading the lighter path. Without ever slipping into darkness and welcoming the cool embrace that followed. Well Peter and Lucy did anyway. Susan and Edmund couldn't help it; they just liked playing in the shadows. Mentions Suspian as well as Ed/Su sibling stuff._

_Note: Try listening to the song Dark side by Kelly Clarkson or Arms by Christina Perri, both beautiful songs. Just a suggestion._

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He has never been happier than he is while his splashing about in the water with his siblings. Well...when he says never, there was one time in Calormen, during the fourth year of their reign he and Susan were visiting with Corin to check for ruminants' of the White Witches army. They were given a pipe to smoke from. The moment the smoke filled his lungs he felt infinite, light and relaxed. He and his sister danced widely under the blackened night sky, the Prince of Archland joining their ritual, and not for the last time either. But as soon as he spots the ruins, the destruction, the euphoric feeling that was spreading through him fades like his love for the light. The want is back and he is too hurt to fight it away, he asks the obvious question, stupidly praying that he is wrong for the first time in a long time. Peter and Lucy look at him like his is simple and he curses them and he curses his stupid praying. But then he realises, he has always been stupidly praying. But that won't stop him. Not this time

She has never been happier than she is while she is splashing and swimming with her siblings. She knows that Edmund feels the same, apart from the Calormen adventure, but she doesn't what to think about that. She wants this feeling of euphoria- natural euphoria- to stay inside her veins. She feels weightless for the first time in a long time and it feels brilliant. But as she spots Edmund's face drop and his eyes dim, she follows his line of vision and she feels the craving return to her body. In an instant she knows that the old Narnia is gone and something is wrong, she wants the feeling back but now she doesn't care how she gets it, like and addiction, and she wants it the best way she knows how and the darkness is her only option. She hears Edmund voice and she prays that he is right but when she see's Lucy and Peter's befuddled looks and eye rolls she curses them and herself. Them for being so good and pure, something she has never been. Herself for actually getting her hopes up ad being let down once more. But then she realises, she has always been let down because according to others she wasn't good enough. But that's not going to stop her. Not this time.

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As they enter the treasure chamber he feels a rush of memories attack him. He remembers the day of his coronation, the day he began again. He remembers the day he first went into battle as King, the day he proved himself to his subjects and his older brother and younger sister. He remembers the day of his first ball; dancing around the room with Susan he had never felt so happy. He remembers the day he first held a trial, having that chance to prove himself once more had made his feel euphoric. He remembers his first kiss with _her_, how sweet it was to finally be loved as a person, as Edmund. He remembers when he found out what she had done, who she had done it with. He remembers returning to the darkness and promising to never let himself fall that far again. He remembers how angry he was a Peter and Lucy when instead of being there for him they just told him that next time he should listen to them. He remembers Susan holding him as he cried over his loss and broken heart. He remembers leaving, visualising the pain that coursed throughout their friends as they discovered their loss and were left alone to deal with everything that came with it.

He remembers the promise he made a few minutes ago and he swears to Aslan that he will keep it. Not only for himself, the younger brother who was always over shadowed and left behind, but for the Narnians who were left behind as well.

As she enters the treasure chamber she is hit by so any memories she early falls. She remembers the day of their coronation, the feeling of finally getting to begin again. She remembers the day of her first suitor, the feeling of being wanted make her heart scream in delight. She remembers the day of her first ball, dancing around the room with Edmund had made her feel so graceful...so beautiful. She remembers the day she discovered a spy in their inner circle, the feeling of being praised had been mesmerizing. She remembers the night she held Edmund, the anger she felt towards the other two had burned through her body, could they not see his hurt? She remembers the day she swore to keep her heart locked away; she would never be hurt again. She remembers how she took over everything when Peter and Lucy were off having fun, they called her boring and vain until she finally snapped and rode off in the middle of the night. She remembers when she finally returned three months later with Corin, they both looked pale and tired but Edmund looked so sick that she felt guilty, but he was still right up to defend her with Corin when Peter and Lucy yelled. She remembers leaving and she tries to imagine the despair that came with it for their friends, but she can't because it _hurts_.

She remembers the promise she made a few minutes ago and she swears to Aslan that she will keep it. Not only for herself, the older sister who was always told that she silver instead of gold, but for the friends who were left to be broken like glass.

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When they save the Dwarf he notices how Narnia has changed. First of all, when he left nobody would be trying to kill someone at all, especially in front of Cair Paravel itself. Then when he and Peter jump into the water and he swims towards the boat, he notices that the water seems to taste slightly bitter and he knows that it is reflecting the moods of the Narnians that have managed to survive. He returns to land and he notices that Lucy seems to be glaring at Susan and he realises that she is probably mad that Susan killed one of the men. It irritates him for two reasons, one: they would have killed the dwarf without hesitation and two: they would have gone on to kill all four of them. He also thinks that Lucy telling Susan off for killing someone is a bit rich; at least Susan could look at those she killed.

When they save the Dwarf she notices how Narnia has changed. First of all, when she left nobody would have ever killed anyone unless in self defence or during a war. Execution was never allowed during their reign and she couldn't understand how anyone could allow it during theirs. Then when she looks out towards the sun she notices that it seems to be duller than before, she then realises that it is probably feeling the same pain and sadness as the Narnians. As she turns back around she meets her younger sisters piercing glare, but instead of backing down she glares right back. Secretly she is pleased to see how it throws her little sister off slightly. Personally she thinks that Lucy telling her of for killing the soldier is a little rich, they would have killed the Dwarf and each of them if she hadn't done anything. Honestly.

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As they arrive at the gorge, Edmund marvels at the fact that Peter still hasn't taken a knock to his pride yet. Personally Edmund believes that the DLF is only ten seconds away from grabbing Peter by the back of his blond head, slamming his head into a tree and re-crowning him as his personal bitch. He knows better than most that there is a fine line between pride and arrogance and Peter is well over arrogance. He loves his brother dearly but he needs to understand that sometimes the proudest thing a man can do is allow someone else to lead them. He hears the conversation going on around them and he hears Susan makes some witty remark about swimming before she and the DLF walk away.

Then he hears the name he has been longing to hear since he arrived, Aslan. He turns but see's nothing and as Susan comes cannoning back they share a confused glance before turning back into Peter and Lucy's conversation. As usual neither of them is asked for their opinion but he gives it anyway. He gets a smile of gratitude from Lucy and as he turns and looks at Susan he knows that she won't bother to say anything, he sees in her eyes that she is too tired to argue with anyone. As usual they do what Peter wants but like his older sister, Edmund is too numb and too tired to actually care.

As they arrive at the gorge, Susan is slightly surprised at the fact that Peter still seems to believe that his pride is intact. Personally Susan wouldn't mind if the DLF grabbed Peter by the roots of his blond hair, slammed him repeatedly into a large tree and force him to wear a sash with the words "Dwarfs bitch" imprinted across the front and back. She even thinks that it may do him the world of good, as well as being tremendously funny. She knows that Peter has leapt over the side of Pride and is bordering well past the line of Arrogance. As much as Susan loves her brother she believes that he needs to understand when the time comes to hand over the crown. She hears the conversation and makes some witty remark before walking away with the DLF, they are about six meters gone when she hears the name she has been dying to hear. Aslan!

As she comes cannoning back into the forest she sends her eyes searching all over the forest, she can't find him. She shares a glance with Edmund and as she sees his disappointment mirroring hers she knows that he hasn't found him either. As per usual neither she nor Edmund are asked for their opinion but she is too numb and too tired to care. All she knows is that they end up doing what Peter wants and as she looks towards her brother she knows that he is too much like her, too numb and too tired to actually care.

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**AN: thank you guys for reading and sorry the update took so long. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a very Happy New Year! Oh and thank you all so much for reviewing, following and favouriting!**

**Red xxx**


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